Inflatable footwear form



Dec. 16, 1969 CHERRY ET AL 3,483,580

INFLATABLE FOOTWEAR FORM Filed Sept. 1968 INVENTORS NANCY REY CHERRY JUDITH ANN SHACKELFORD ATTORNEY.

United States Patent US. Cl. 12114.4 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An inflatable plastic form shaped to simulate the lower portion of a human leg adaptable for use primarily in connection with commercial display of womans footwear. The form comprises an integrally structured eyelet permitting hanging of the object to be displayed.

The present invention relates to plastic objects, and particularly to a specific construction for an inflatable footwear form.

Forms such as contemplated by the present invention generally comprise a resilient material usually shaped to the internal contour of an article of footwear. When the form is inserted interiorly of the footwear and inflated, it produces a uniform externally directed force upon the body of the footwear thereby producing a smoothed external contour. Such forms may be useful in the home, or they may be used commercially for display purposes. The present invention is intended primarily for commercial application with particular adaptability to use in displaying womans boots.

Items such as the inflatable footwear form contemplated by the present invention must by manufactured as inexpensively as possible in order to provide potential for commercial success because such items are generally very limited as to the selling price that may potentially be demanded therefor. Additionally, the item must be of sufficiently sturdy construction to provide the intended function without rupturing or tearing.

Accordingly, it is important that the structure and arrangement of such an inflatable footwear form be efiective to provide a sturdy item having the necessary functional features while at the same time enabling manufacture thereof simply and economically.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved inflatable footwear form featuring sturdiness and adaptability to certain advantageous functional applications, while at the same time being capable of manufacture simply and economically.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a footwear form which, by its inherent structural arrangement and the method of manufacture enabled thereby, will withstand significant abusive wear and also may be sold at a competitively advantageous price.

Briefly, the present invention comprises a pair of identically shaped sheets of plastic material which are heat sealed along selected portions thereof to provide an inflatable footwear form. One of said plastic sheets in cludes an air valve mounted therein, and when heat sealed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention said form comprises integrally structured eyelet means for hanging the form in display position.

A better understanding of the present invention may be had from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the inflatable footwear form of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation showing the form in the deflated condition;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation showing the form in the inflated condition;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional elevation showing the inflated footwear form within an article of footwear; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent similar elements, the inflatable footwear form of the present invention is shown to comprise a pair of plastic sheets 10 and 12. In FIGURE 1, there is shown the sheet 10 which is shaped in the form of the lower portion of a human leg including a foot portion 14 and a calf portion 16. The sheet 12 is shaped identically to sheet 10 and in the manufacture of the inflatable form of the invention the sheets 10 and 12 are placed in overlying congruent relationship, with the sheet 12 directly behind the sheet 10 as viewed in FIGURE 1, and the sheets are then joined by heat sealing, in any known manner that may be appropriate, along the borders 18, 20 and 22.

The border 18 defines the outer limits of the foot portion 14 and the calf portion 16 of the footwear form. The border 20 defines the outer limits of an eyelet 24 which comprises an orifice defined by circular wall 26. The orifice defined by wall 26 is bounded by heat sealed border 22 and adapts the inflatable form of the invention for hanging from a hook or other suitable means insertable in the orifice. The eyelet 24 is integrally formed with sheet 10 and with sheet 12 and when the heat sealed borders 20 and 22 are formed, the eyelet 24 constitutes a double-walled hanging means comprising double walls 24a and 24b shown in FIGURE 5. The particular configuration described herein imparts to the eyelet 24 an exceptionally high degree of sturdiness thereby enabling the footwear form to be appropriately hung for display purposes without damage regardless of the weight of the article of footwear into which the form is placed.

A conventional air valve 28 is mounted through sheet 10 in any appropriate manner thereby to enable inflation of the form by application of air under pressure into the space between sheets 10 and 12, said inflation to be performed preferably by mouth.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the use of the invention in an article of footwear 30. As previously stated, the present invention is intended for particular application with womans boots which are a relatively recent fashion innovation. Commercial establishments require that such boots be displayed as attractively as possible to enhance the sales appeal thereof to a prospective purchaser. Display in an attractive manner is particularly important with regard to womans boots since it is the aesthetic appeal thereof, rather than the practicality of the product, that provides the greatest sales potential. Display of such boots in a crumpled or unattractive condition can seriously impede sale thereof. However, an inflatable form capable of enabling appropriate display of such boots must involve not only adaptability to the particular purpose involved, but it must also provide sturdiness and dependability at a sufficiently low cost. The present invention is deemed to be appropriately suited in this regard.

With reference to FIGURE 5, the inflatable form of the invention, when in the deflated condition, may be easily inserted into the boot 30 and then inflated by mouth through the valve 28. Additionally, the boot may then be hung in any desired location by means of eyelet 24 which provides a sturdy and convenient structural approach for accomplishment of the indicated function.

Accordingly, it will be clear that there is provided an inflatable footwear form which is sufficiently sturdy and especially adaptable to commercial applications, and

which includes features, such as eyelet 24, enhancing the functional performance thereof without retracting from structural strength and durability. Furthermore, due to the specific structural arrangement set forth whereby the structure of the invention may be simply manufactured merely by appropriately heat sealing a pair of identically shaped plastic sheets, there is provided an inflatable footwear form which is not only sturdy and durable, but which also may be manufactured and sold at a cost which greatly enhances the prospect of achieving a commercially successful product.

What is claimed is:

1. An inflatable footwear form comprising a pair of sheets of plastic material shaped to simulate the lower portion of a human leg, an air valve mounted in one of said sheets adaptable to permit inflation and deflation of said footwear form, a portion of each of said sheets at the upper end thereof extending beyond said leg shape, said extended portion including an edge defining orifice means extending through said extended portion, and a 20 heat seal joint extending completely along the outer edges of said sheets joining said sheets together at said edges, said heat seal joint also extending between said leg shape portion of said sheets and said extended portion and around said edge of said extended portion defining said orifice means whereby said extended portion provides eyelet means integrally formed with said leg shape portion with said heat seal joint extending therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,680,528 8/1928 La Londe 121l4.4 X 2,273,489 2/1942 Holmes 12l14.4 X 2,306,036 12/1942 Campbell 12114.4

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

